Point Defiance loses half its sea stars to a wasting aquatic disease

The disease responsible for the largest die-off of sea stars ever recorded has popped back up along the West Coast.

Last year, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium lost more than half of its 369 sea stars. Now, they number fewer than 100.

“We definitely saw a resurgence of wasting among our sea stars over the summer,” aquarist Melissa Bishop said. “That's consistent with what others have seen up and down the West Coast this year.”

An exact total of how many sea stars have shown signs of wasting at Point Defiance was not immediately available.

Point Defiance aquarists joined with about 85 collaborators to find a cause and solution to the disease, which basically deflates the sea star. First, its legs curl up and contort and then lesions appear. Eventually, the limbs tear off, and the animal disintegrates.

The Tacoma aquarium treated its affected sea stars with antibiotics last year, which proved effective.

Bishop is working with the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on a survey of West Coast zoos and aquariums to gather information on how to prevent the wasting syndrome.

She will present their findings at a national convention for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in late September.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Point Defiance loses half its sea stars to a wasting aquatic disease."